Jamie's Comfort Food

If you can’t tell from the title of this review, I am so very impressed by this book. I own a lot of Jamie’s other books and certainly do like them, but I love this one for so many reasons…I have posted a more in-depth review below as well as a full recipe list at the very end of this review but for those out there (and I know there are many of you) that want a quick summary of what’s hot and what’s not about this book, these first few paragraphs are for you.What I LOVE about this book:- The feel of the book, a small thing to some but the textured hard cover is lovely as are the individual recipe pages on good quality paper.- The recipe images, there is an abundance for every single recipe, they are informative and inspiring (please see image uploads to see what I mean).- The recipe formats and layout – you instantly see at the left of each recipe:Number of servingsTime to makeCalories per serving- Jamie’s intro at the beginning of each recipe, full of enthusiasm and instantly explains what the recipe is if unsure (a Pierogi is ‘basically a Polish boiled dumplin’… news to me!).- The nutritional section at the back of the book, I always like to know the nutritional value of what I’m eating, it won’t spoil my chocolate brownie but it will make me balance my nutrition or exercise accordingly for the rest of the day.- The recipes themselves are all dishes I WANT to and CAN make. See the recipe list at the end for yourself as this is pure opinion but these dishes are all my family’s kind of food and there is a great variety.If you are not familiar with Jamie Oliver and his books I’d recommend trying out the trial recipes which are posted on The Times Newspaper’s website if you have access, at the moment there are 8 on there which, when you consider the book contains 100 recipes, it’s a great example of the type and styles of recipes in the book and it’s what we did.Now normally in the first few paragraphs I’d write about things I dislike or I think could be improved with the book. Here I am struggling, really struggling. It’s sincerely everything I personally would want for in this type of book about comfort food; a nice variety of great looking food, with easy to follow conversational methods as well as hundreds of great images to inspire and educate. I sincerely don’t know what to put here for negatives. The book does, in my opinion, exactly what Jamie sets out for it to do, it’s a book I will definitely reach for when I want to make a weekend treat.Ok and now for my even more in-depth review for those that are still with me, which I feel I must caveat with a statement about how I always try to look for constructive improvements a book / author can make for the reader, but sincerely in this instance it really is all positives, hence the 5 stars, I would wholeheartedly recommend it to Jamie Oliver fans and comfort food fans alike.Firstly, as I mentioned previously, the book is a delight to behold, with a textured cover (I have uploaded a few images of this and a typical recipe page on this amazon product page!) and as with all of Jamie’s books that I have purchased, which is most of them now, the images from page to page are absolutely beautiful.With there ‘only’ being 100 recipes in this rather thick book, you can see how multiple pages are dedicated to one recipe and with that are beautiful images as well as some great tips and information from Jamie every now and again.This combination of images and great information (all with the usual great design and fonts Jamie puts into his books), make Comfort Food an absolute joy to browse and read even if not intending to cook from it anytime soon.The book is split into the following 6 main recipe sections:NostalgiaGood Mood FoodPick Me UpsRitualGuilty PleasuresSweet IndulgenceWithin each section there is a great variety of recipes so if looking for something specific it might be best to use the index at the back of the book. Worth noting the index has a nice touch whereby it marks recipes that are suitable for vegetarians with a ‘v’.Where on earth Jamie gets his inspiration and invention from is beyond me considering we own at least eight of his books and have yet to feel like there are any repeats or rehashes from other books.There is also a nutrition section at the back of the book, which lists calories, fat, saturates, carbs and sugar for every recipe. At the end of the nutrition section it acknowledges that the nature of comfort food means the recipes are often indulgent, but as a reader I sincerely appreciate just being informed on what I am eating.Now on to the main thing for me with any book, the recipe pages and trials of the recipes.The recipe pages are laid out in a great manner for me, as mentioned before each lists number of servings, prep time and calories. The first two certainly help when flicking through for inspiration and considering when I want to make these meals. Though most I think would be made on a weekend owing to their indulgent nature, there are plenty around the 30 / 40 minute mark if you wanted to do some mid-week too.We actually did the chicken tikka masala mid-week and it was very true to time (I’m usually a little slow to prep anyway but the recipe states 1hr 20mins and I was about 1hr 30mins after having marinating overnight), and more importantly it was delicious. The recipe states serves 6 – 8 and it did 4 adults and two hungry teenagers comfortably.My wife also baked the peanut butter and jelly brownies, as big fans of peanut butter in our household these were nothing short of phenomenal, it seems so obvious that nuts and chocolate work so well together but these really worked better than we had hoped and a real hit.Well in summary, I really do think this book is fantastic. I expected it to be good as we have continued to like all of Jamie’s books and always find ourselves going back to them, I have no doubt we will do the same with this one but I will post an update in a few weeks’ time with how we get on.Recipe list:NostalgiaChicken Tikka MasalaShepherd’s PieBeans on ToastSuper SchnitzelCurried Fish PieRetro Layered SaladGiant Sausage RollJerk Ham, Eggs and ChipsMushroom Soup and Pasta BakeChicken KievBig British MeatballsPosh Pot NoodleMini Fish and ChipsCondiments; curry sauce, tartare sauce, mushy peas, let’s chat pickles (not a recipe )Chicken ShawarmaShawarma accompaniments; amba sauce, silken houmous, tabbouleh, pickled vegDouble Whammy Toad in the HoleMum’s smoked HaddockProper PorridgeGood Mood FoodGorgeous Gado GadoInsanity BurgerBrazilian FeijoadaKatsu CurryIrresistible Pork BunsNasi GorengUltimate Crab CakesHappiness is a Bacon SarnieChicken SatayBlack CodGhanaian Groundnut StewBest Cornbread and Chipotle ButterBeef WellingtonDivine DosaHot Smoked Salmon Club SandwichGnocchi and Squash SauceTop QuesadillasGreek Egg and ChipsPulled Pork and Sweet Potato HashBloody Mary BeefPick me UpsBest Bun Cha BowlsSpinach, bacon and pine nut saladHuevos RancherosUltimate Black DaalSteaming RamenPolish PierogiSuperfood SaladMasala EggsBlushing Spaghetti VongolePho Sure, it’s GoodMassaman CurryUltimate ArrabbiataChicken Broth, Veg and PestoKushari Al FornoDrinks; Bellini, Tom Collins, Mojito, Smokin’ Bloody MaryRitualWinter Nights ChilliGyoza with Crispy WingsCassoulet de EssexRoyal Pasta DoughPlay TimePrawn LinguineCrab LinguineBolognese RavioliTortellini PrimaveraCrispy Duck LasagneProper Veg LasagneOssobuco Alla MilaneseRisotto Allo ZafferanoMaking KielbasaCooking and Serving KielbasaMy BouillabaisseMayonnaise Four WaysOvernight Roasted Pork ShoulderMighty Greek MoussakaGuilty PleasuresSalt and Pepper SquidNumber One Toasted Cheese SandwichButter and Sage GnudiPizza PerfectionLobster Mac and CheeseTear n Share Garlic BreadSouthern Fried ChickenAubergine Parmigiana SandwichSticky Chinese RibsSuper Eggs BenedictChicken and Mushroom PieBeef and Barley BunsUnbelievable Provencal BakeNext Level Steak and Onion SandwichSweet IndulgenceDreamy Marshmallow PavlovaScrumptious Sticky Toffee PuddingPineapple Upside-down CakeChocolate Celebration CakeMilk TartChocolate ProfiterolesDouble Vanilla Ice CreamMint Choc Chip Ice CreamSalted Caramel Ice CreamRum and Raisin Ice CreamRaspberry Ripple Ice CreamThe Jaffa CakeAmazing Apple PieJamaican Ginger CakeHummingbird CakeDevil’s Double Choc Malt CookiesBonkers Bread and Butter Panettone Pudding TartRhubarb and Potted CustardBrazilian Teardrop DoughnutsMolten CheesecakeMagnificent MarshmallowsBeautiful Black Forest GateauTutti Frutti Pear Tarte TatinGerman Coffee CakePeanut Butter and Jelly BrowniesUltimate Hot Chocolate

The media could not be loaded.  Love another one of the great Oliver collection to add to my library of Jamie 🙂This book is a fabulous mix of a whole host of really good new and old and different meals both sweet and savoury. What I love most is the pictures to show you what it is supposed to look like as this really helps.World of Books are always my first stop for a book as they take such great care of them, package and deliver brilliantly and I am always happy with their customer service!

This is one of my favourite cook books and I own a lot of them. I am also a fan of Jamie's, although I don't own a lot of his books.At first glance I thought the dishes seemed a little bit boring. I mean, I had already cooked a chicken tikka massala, a shepherd's pie and, a chili con carne or a lasagna. Those are quite common recipes and sound like nothing special. But as I examined the recipes again, I saw that he doesn't just give a recipe for a lasagna, he gives the BEST recipe for a lasagna. I have cooked dozens of lasagna's in my life, but the crispy duck lasagna was out of this world. Granted, it took me nearly a day to prepare, but it was worth it. All the people at the dinner table, including a professional chef, were silent and shaking their heads in disbelief at how good a friggin' lasagna could taste! And not just the lasagna. I have also made a few great flavours of ice cream, a brilliant tikka massala, the best meatballs ever (according to my husband) and a brilliant steak and onion sandwich. All the recipes I've tried so far (about 20) came out great and there are still a lot more I would like to try.So, the recipes may seem nothing special, because they're classics, (but then again...comfort foods usually ARE classics, aren't they?) but rest assured that you get marvelous versions of these classics. They're not quick and cheap recipes, because most recipes take quite a lot of time, but in my book a lot of great food is slow food. The long ingredient lists and long time it takes to prepare the dishes are not a problem for me, because I really love to cook and I'm willing to wait for something great. It's not a book I use when I want something quick and easy, there are other books for that, but a book I use to cook for loved ones on a day I can take the time to cook with love while singing along to good music and sipping from a glass of wine ;-)

Was what was asked for as a gift

I am a huge fan of Jamie Oliver's cookbooks and TV shows. I am also a fan of his 15-minute Meals and Save With Jamie. This is my favourite cookbook to date from Jamie and is my go-to cookbook at the moment. It's a fabulous quality hardback book with a textured cover, lovely thick pages and quality print which looks great on the bookshelf or the recipe-bookstand.There are so many fabulous recipes in there, of which most use easy-to-find ingredients which won't cost the Earth. Some of my favourites are his Chicken Tikka Masala, Nasi Goreng, Winter Nights Chilli, Gorgeous Gado Gado, Chicken Satay, Pulled Pork & Sweet Potato Hash and Mint Chocolate Chip Ice-cream. I love the way Jamie sets out his recipes, introducing them with an enthusiastic paragraph so you firstly understand his love for the dish and cooking in general. He then lists all the ingredients on the left of the page so it's easy to make your shopping list from. Other great bits of information are the calorie value per portion and how many the dish serves. At the back of the more there are in-depth nutritional guides to each dish. The recipe guides you step-by-step fully explaining how to make the dish perfectly. There is also at least one photo per recipe and often more than one. The photos are great quality and set realistically.If I had to choose only one cookbook to use from now on, this would be the one.